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Foster Story: Dana

Updated: Mar 26

Dana has volunteered and fostered for ALIVE for almost five years. With two kitties of her own, she often can only commit to short-term fostering. Fortunately, ALIVE is always in need of foster homes for both long-and short-term stays, so fosters like Dana are always welcome.

Read Dana's story below to learn more about her foster experience …

"I have fostered both dogs and cats for ALIVE. However, I have always had a pet of my own in the home, which can sometimes limit the care and length of stay that I can provide. Luckily, ALIVE needs both long-term and short-term, temporary fosters and truly value both within their ecosystem.

I chose to share these photos of Tommy, a cat who I "long-term fostered" a few years ago. If you are wondering what made me want to take on such a cute, little, orange monster, I'll fully admit it was the photo of him behind bars and eventually hearing his kitty meows begging for a nice, warm home that did me in. I expected a cute, teeny kitten to be in and out of the house within days, but for some reason, no one was committing to him.

Over time, Tommy became BFFs with one of my kitties and celebrated Christmas at my family's home in Wisconsin. He learned social cues from Lilly and Fiona, my resident cats, and was the best cuddle bug. His time spent around my home allowed him to be adopted along with another ALIVE cat. A double win!

To me, the best part of fostering is seeing the change in animals before and after fostering. The progress right in front of you is amazing. They go from scared and helpless to loved and safe right before your eyes. It feels great to be one small part of an animal's life journey, whether it be a year, a few months or only a weekend. Every step counts." - Dana